Oil producing states can’t manage wealth – Northern leaders

•Warn Jonathan against 2015
From: TAIWO AMODU, Abuja
Friday, March 16, 2012


The Coalition of Northern Leaders has joined the Northern governors in frowning against the revenue allocation formula which the latter said was skewed against the region.

Chairman of Northern Governors Forum, Dr Babangida Aliyu of Niger State had recently called for a review of the revenue sharing formula. The governors also said that all oil blocks outside the 200 kilometers of the continental shelf should be shared as a commonwealth, rather than allowing few states to share the proceeds.

But after its meeting held at Asokoro in Abuja yesterday the coalition in a communiqué signed by its National Convener, Junaid Mohamed, expressed concern over what it called the obnoxious law which it noted was unfair as the oil producing states which are enjoying improved revenue cannot even manage it, claiming that such large oil income breeds corruption in the South-South.
[b]“The North rejects the current obnoxious revenue allocation law and called for its immediate review in view of its being lopsided, unfair and detrimental to the interest of all Nigerians, including the real people of the oil-producing states it appears to favour superficially. Oil producing states are equally victims because the revenue accruing to their states on the basis of obnoxious derivation over-weighted formula is far beyond their executive capacity to manage.

“As a consequence, it encourages corruption and hyper-inflation in those states, their neighbours and the country at large. The law, as it exists, is a violation of a subsisting judgment by the Supreme Court of Nigeria, a fact openly admitted to by former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo in his clandestine and indecent corruption of the National Assembly to have the law passed at that time (2002)”.

While it submitted further that the law violates international law, the group called for its abrogation as it noted that it encourages extortion and kidnapping among other vices in the oil producing states.
“This revenue allocation law also stands in violation of the international law with particular reference to the International Law of Sea Convention (LOSC). The LOSC treaty, which has since come into force (1982), is the principal governing law for all maritime resource issues. The LOSC is one of the most comprehensive treaties in international law and clearly stipulates in its various parts and annexes that oil and all forms of wealth found on the continental shelf or the international sea bed must belong to the countries and not just to administrative/political units (littoral states) adjoining the physical sea.
The revenue allocation law as it stands is a violation of a subsisting Supreme Court judgment viz: A-G of the Federation Versus A.G Abia State and 36 others (2002) reported in 6 NWLR part 765 on pages 542-905.
Reacting to the constitution amendment created by the Federal Government under the leadership of a former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Alfa Belgore, the northern group viewed as specifically created to achieve a sinister agenda of third term by President Goodluck Jonathan.[/b]

[b]“The Committee Chairmen also noted with concern and regret the goings-on in the constitutional amendment committee set up by the Federal Government under a former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Alfa Belgore, where it has become clear that both the Villa and the Chairman are relentlessly pursuing sinister third term agenda/renewed tenure elongation for the President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.

“The main effort by Belgore and other hirelings of the and the Villa has been to create a so-called NEW Constitution that paves the way for Jonathan to again contest the presidential election in 2015 for a single term of Seven (7) years, that is, in addition to his current Four (4) years to the nearly Two (2) years he had served of the Yar’Adua Presidency.
“Belgore has nothing but contempt for issues in which the North feels cheated such as Abuja and revenue allocation and his dangerous antics have divided the committee, leading to acrimonious debates and near fist-fights with Belgore feigning helplessness while surreptitiously helping his own side.

“The whole country with the North as its head will rise to oppose this mischief.”[/b]
http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2012/mar/16/national-16-03-2012-002.html

things are starting to spice up in naija politics

re@lchange:"things are starting to spice up in naija politics"

Indeed they are however i have a deep feeling that the game will go off-script for everyone/group involved.

what an insult,that the south south leaders can not manage their wealth?.mugus, they want to remain parasites,occupy your resources for once and lets have peace.

and who told these dogs that the North is the head of the whole country

Is there anyway to actually cut Nigeria in half with the ocean separating all of us.

This people wey dey for north are not serious at all.

re@lchange:
Oil producing states can’t manage wealth – Northern leaders

[size=18pt]whole country with the North as its head will rise to oppose this mischief.[/size]”[/b]
http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2012/mar/16/national-16-03-2012-002.html

This guy is most def crazy

Get ready for mend chapter two this time it will be bloodier. And while they are busy claiming littoral rights all on shore oil blocks belonging to northerners should be forefeited, surely that is fair!!!!. People will be shocked when they calculate 200 nautical miles andfind that not much is left. The Niger a Delta should also field huge bills for their environmental degradation. Imagine aboki olin saying we can't manage our oil resources what do they have to show for their ground nuts and agriculture and their general mismanagement of Nigeria during the long period of northern rule. Desperadoes grasping at straws.

Saw this silly statements out of the so-called Northern leaders yesterday.

It is laughable to say the least.

I think they have not manage the money well. This is bayelsa state stadium, even with billions collect. Now compare with taraba stadium or Gombi or Kogi stadium. It show they have not manage the money well. even when their population is small in bayelsa state. The money going to bayelsa state is going into private pocket.

bayelsa stadium , collected N1 ,000,000,000,000 1.0 trillion



Taraba state collected N250 ,000,000,000 0.25 trillion

re@lchange:
Oil producing states can’t manage wealth – Northern leaders

•Warn Jonathan against 2015
From: TAIWO AMODU, Abuja
Friday, March 16, 2012


The Coalition of Northern Leaders has joined the Northern governors in frowning against the revenue allocation formula which the latter said was skewed against the region.

Chairman of Northern Governors Forum, Dr Babangida Aliyu of Niger State had recently called for a review of the revenue sharing formula. The governors also said that all oil blocks outside the 200 kilometers of the continental shelf should be shared as a commonwealth, rather than allowing few states to share the proceeds.

But after its meeting held at Asokoro in Abuja yesterday the coalition in a communiqué signed by its National Convener, Junaid Mohamed, expressed concern over what it called the obnoxious law which it noted was unfair as the oil producing states which are enjoying improved revenue cannot even manage it, claiming that such large oil income breeds corruption in the South-South.
“The North rejects the current obnoxious revenue allocation law and called for its immediate review in view of its being lopsided, unfair and detrimental to the interest of all Nigerians, including the real people of the oil-producing states it appears to favour superficially. Oil producing states are equally victims because the revenue accruing to their states on the basis of obnoxious derivation over-weighted formula is far beyond their executive capacity to manage.

I painfully read through this news, and all I could do was to keep wringing my fingers repeatedly. While doing so, two names kept playing like a record in my head:
Edwin Clark and Chief Harold Dappa-Biriye!
Chief Harold Dappa-Biriye claimed that the idea of states was his and his alone. He was too "marginalized" in Eastern region.
Now, the same people he allied with are telling him in bold terms (and many agree) that he and his don't have the "executive capacity" to manage what God put near them.
I have to use this opportunity to warn the youths of "SS" and "Niger delta", to carefully study the perilious paths of these two men, and to resolutely TAKE THE OPPOSITE direction. When the two men were dancing to the macabre beats and flutes of "usurugodo", they did not know that "usurugodo" is a dance of death.

One can argue, standing on very firm grounds, that it was far better that the resources of Eastern Nigeria was managed at regional levels than at state levels where thieves can pillage the coffers without anyone asking, and where there may be dearth of human resources to effect transformation and economic boom (apologies to Northerners). We were able to use the proceeds of oil palm and coal to develop Enugu, Port Harcourt, Calabar and other mid sized towns before the civil war. We would have been able to transform the whole East with all the money being siphoned to the North (they own most of the oil blocks) without any gratitude in return. By now, these Eastern cities would have been competing with some of best in the world, and it would be abundantly clear to everyone that there is executive capacity to manage the resources. But "stateism" was used to destroy our unity; now, a Soludo for eg, cannot work in Bayelsa or Rivers state and vice versa.
It pains me that someone who is almost 1000 miles away, who is comparatively less educated, feels that he is more qualified to control the resources that are in my own backyard, thanks to people like Chief Harold Dappa-Biriye who couldn't see far enough.
It is quite sad indeed.

this is dutse, you cant compare with yenagoa. it is not good to steal your people money

@Musiwa, where do you get these pics you inundate us with?
Back to topic, the northern group is right because corruption had denied citizens of the SS of what they ought to be enjoying (Ibori, Alameisegha, Odili etc ) but in the context the group is arguing (more revenue to the north ) it is wrong and very annoying, it should have asked it's governors in the north what was done with monies disbursed to them first before jumping the gun. Ingrates